Under the Radar Game of the Day – Wednesday, January 13: Tennessee Tech at Tennessee-Martin

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Tennessee Tech at Tennessee-Martin, 7:00 PM Eastern, ovcdigitalnetwork.com

The Under the Radar Game of the Day heads to the Ohio Valley Conference tonight for an OVC game that does not involve either Belmont or Murray State — something which has become a rarity in recent seasons.  However, the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech do enter play tonight with the best conference record in the OVC while the Skyhawks of UT-Martin are the only team in the conference’s West Division with a winning overall record.  TTU is currently 12-5 overall and 4-0 in early conference play (half a game better than Belmont and Tennessee State), including two conference road wins at Murray State and at Austin Peay.  The Golden Eagles have been led so far this season by Torrance Rowe, who has made five or more three-pointers in a game four times already this year.  Rowe, a senior, is joined by senior Ryan Martin as the top scorers for the team.  Ryan Martin has already scored 20 or more points four times this season and has recorded four double-doubles.  Having two veterans to lead this team could make the Golden Eagles a surprise contender this season — at least for second best in the conference behind Belmont (though that would only give them the #3 seed in the conference tournament).

The Skyhawks of UT-Martin have been the best looking of the six West Division teams so far this season, though that does not say much given the overall weakness of the division.  They enter play tonight at 1-1 in conference play and 9-8 overall.  They also have the West Division’s best KenPom rating, though at 204, it is certainly not a number to write home about.  The Skyhawks are led by Twymond Howard, who is coming off his best game of 2015-16 in a losing effort against Morehead State.  Howard scored 22 points while grabbing 14 rebounds in that game.  If he and his teammates can continue to perform well this season, they will certainly be in contention for the West Division title, which does bring with it the #2 seed in the OVC Tournament and a bye into the conference tournament semifinals.

Posted in Under the Radar | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bracket Projections: January 12th

Posted on January 12, 2016 by David Griggs

LINKS

-For our latest Hoops HD Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-For today’s News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

 

CHAD’S BRACKET NOTES (Bracket posted below):

– VCU was my last team in and it was not a team I was expecting to place into the field until I looked at the resumes.  The Rams have been playing a lot better lately and may find a way to sneak into the field after all.

– The ACC led the way with 8 bids, though the Pac-12 and Big Ten were right behind with 7 each.

– 7 conferences took all but two at-large bids (the American and Sun Belt got the last two).  The “major” conferences would be very happy wit these results.

– The top 4 teams out were, in order, Florida, Marquette, Washington and Richmond.  The next four out, also in order, were Florida State, St Mary’s, Texas and BYU.

– I know that Oregon as a 5 seed will upset David Griggs, but I really like the way this team is playing right now.  Two teams that I feel are heading the wrong way are Kentucky and Louisville.  UK barely made the protected seed list and Louisville did not.

– I love the 8/9 game in the West Region.  Unfortunately for fans of those teams, tickets would be next to impossible with UNC and Wake both playing in Raleigh as well.

– Oklahoma City could be the site of a great rematch in the East Region Round of 32 of a regular season non-conference rivalry.  I know that David Griggs will appreciate that one.

– I did have to make one seed line move to make the bracket work, dropping my last 12 seed, Boise State, down to 13 and bringing Chattanooga up.  This was to avoid a Boise State-Arizona Round of 64 rematch (they played in the regular season).  This is a soft rule and the committee may allow this rematch to happen and not shift seed lines, although given that they actually played two regular season games against each other (as John noted), I feel the rule would be enforced here.

– I also do not like the fact that I am sending both at-large First Four winners west to Denver and Spokane, but those were the only two cities on the 12 line.  I wonder if the committee would bump one of both First Four games up a line if this happens.  I did not make the bump.

 

Screen Shot 2016-01-11 at 10.35.55 PM

Screen Shot 2016-01-11 at 10.35.09 PM

 

JOHN’S COMMENTS

– I suspect that Chad gave a slight edge to North Carolina over Maryland on his S-Curve; there’s a good chance that UNC is still undefeated if they’re completely healthy throughout the season. (Chad’s Response: Actually, Maryland was my last 2 seed.  They lack the quality wins the others have)

– We did discuss that the SEC won’t offer many opportunities for signature wins, but I’m believing more and more that Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas A&M will remain a gauntlet throughout the season. Did Chad name Kentucky or Angry Frank as their autobid? Just curious. (Chad’s Response: Kentucky)

– Iowa and Butler are being seriously undersold as 6 and 7 seeds, respectively. If the Purdue win by both teams is looking less spectacular, why are the Boilers still a protected seed? (Chad’s Response: It is lack of quality wins outside of both teams beating Purdue.  Iowa’s win over Michigan State was over a Spartan team missing their top player.  Purdue’s resume is still much stronger overall even with the losses.)

– Since Arizona and Boise State actually played twice this year, I suspect that the Committee will also look to make sure they don’t face each other until the Round of 16 like teams from the same conference who play each other twice during the season. As for the First Four games going to Denver and Spokane, I wonder if the Committee would also shuffle the cities to ensure that a First Four team plays closer to Dayton (i.e. Des Moines on a Thursday, Oklahoma City on a Friday).

 

DAVID’S COMMENTS

-Most of what Chad did wasn’t entirely insane, but some of it still was.  I’ve never seen someone that was so impressed with teams who do nothing other than beat sub tournament caliber opponents at home as Chad is.  Oregon on the #5 line?  Although they’re not in his bracket, he was a proponent of Saint Mary’s as well.  Winning at home is easy.  Even bad teams who miss the NIT still win more than half of their home games.  You don’t deserve credit for only doing what’s easy, and to this point that’s all Oregon has done.

-Whereas winning at home is easy, winning on the road is tough.  Monmouth is a team that has won on the road in bulk this year.  In fact, I believe they have more wins away from home than anyone else in this field.  Now, I realize there are teams who would have posted the same record if they played the same schedule, but I’d venture to say that it’s not everyone from the #11 line on up.  Monmouth is not a protected seed, but in my mind they belong in on the first ballot, and should be around the #8 or #9 line.  They’ve won so many games away from home, including UCLA and USC, who he has higher in his bracket than Monmouth.  Chad’s a UTR Guy!!  Where’s the love??

-And yes, Iowa v Iowa State in the Round of 32 would be amazing.  So would Dayton v Xavier.  If only Chad would have taken a few extra minutes to create that potential gem of a matchup! (John’s comment – At least USC was much more competitive against Xavier than Dayton was, if we’re talking rematches)

Posted in Bracketology, News and Notes | Tagged | Comments Off on Bracket Projections: January 12th

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Jan 12th

Posted on January 12, 2016 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-Both Chattanooga and Monmouth survived scares on the road, but took care of business and avoided what would have been damaging losses.

-Clemson lost a heartbreaker at home to Alabama earlier this year.  They had a chance to get a little bit of revenge last night, but the football team came up short as well.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-DEPAUL AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier is currently being projected on our Jon Teitel’s #1 line, and can end up that high if they keep playing like they have been.

-MIAMI FL AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Miami has just one loss, but still doesn’t seem to be getting the respect that many others in the top ten are.  As good as they’ve been, this would probably be their best win to date.  Virginia is reeling somewhat after losing back to back road games to teams that aren’t exactly tournament caliber.

-FLORIDA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  Florida doesn’t have a high caliber win yet, and could use a win like this to help legitimize their profile.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky is unbeaten at home and appears to be undermatched in this game.

-KANSAS AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve).  Huge match up here between a Kansas team who doesn’t have a big time road win yet, and a highly ranked West Virginia team that’s unbeaten at home.

-WISCONSIN AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  As expected, Northwestern hasn’t looked that strong since conference play began.  This is a winnable road game against a struggling Wiscy team that they absolutely need to pick up.

-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT UMASS (Atlantic Ten).  GW has been strong at home, but has struggled on the road, especially recently.  This is a game they should win, but they’ve lost road games to DePaul and Saint Louis, which has damaged their profile.

-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve).  Both teams are hovering around our bubble right now (at best) so this game has a pivotal feel to it.

-PROVIDENCE AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Creighton is on a roll, and is coming off a somewhat surprising decisive win against Seton Hall.  They’re really tough to beat at home and if they can take down Providence then we need to start looking at them as a tournament contender.

-DAVIDSON AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton suffered a very damaging loss to La Salle over the weekend.  They’re still safe, but their margin for error has significantly narrowed.

-DRAKE AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley).  Evansville can improve to an impressive 15-3 and remain in good shape to land inside the bubble.

-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big Twelve).  Iowa State is coming off a surprising loss, but picking up a road win against a Texas team who has just one home loss would be a great way to rebound.

-MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Maryland has a bloated record, but this would probably be their biggest win of the season to date.  Michigan has just one loss, but could use a little meat on their resume as well, so both teams have quite a bit to play for in this one.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Under the Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday, January 12: Northern Illinois at Toledo

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Northern Illinois at Toledo, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3

For our latest Hoops HD Report Video podcast, CLICK HERE.

The UTR Game of the Day heads to Ohio tonight for a MAC West Division regular season matchup between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Toledo Rockets.  10 of the MAC’s 12 members currently sit at .500 or better overall, making for what appears to be an exciting conference race all season long.  Even further proof is that two games into conference play, only Akron and Northern Illinois remain undefeated in league play.  Northern Illinois enters the game tonight with an overall record of 13-2, 2-0 in the MAC.  The Huskies’ record is truly amazing when you realize that this team failed to win more than 10 games in a season from 2007-2013, a seven year stretch where the program was among the worst in all of D1.  They improved each of the last two years, winning 15 and 14 games, but both seasons ended with losing records again.  Four more wins this season will guarantee a winning record, something that should happen absent a complete meltdown.  Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success this season has been the play of redshirt sophomore Marin Maric.  Maric has scored in double figures in 11 straight games and has posted a double-double four of the last six times out.

The Toledo Rockets enter play today with an overall record of 10-5, 1-1 in early MAC play.  They have their own deadly force to contend with, as senior Nathan Boothe is one of the top players in the MAC.  He has already topped to 20-point mark five times this season and has recorded 5 double-doubles and one triple-double (12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against San Jose State).  Toledo has struggled away from home so far this year, picking up 4 of their 5 losses on the road.  However, they have only been beaten at home once (by Oakland).  The MAC is a conference known, at least by the UTR guys, as a very difficult place too pick up road wins.  Therefore, if NIU can come to Toledo and score the victory tonight, despite the overall records, we would consider it an upset that would message sent to the rest of the conference that the Huskies intend to compete for more than just a winning record.

Posted in Under the Radar | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Under the Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday, January 12: Northern Illinois at Toledo

The Hoops HD Report: January 11th

Posted on January 11, 2016 by David Griggs

Chad is joined by David and John, and they run through all of the power conferences in college basketball.  They discuss the big game between Kansas and Oklahoma from earlier in the week, Baylor’s huge and much needed road win at Iowa State, Louisville’s loss at Clemson and how the Cardinals’ weak out of conference schedule puts more pressure on them in conference play, Dayton’s damaging loss at La Salle, Arizona’s and Virginia’s tough road struggles this past week, and much more….

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an mp3 version of the show….

Posted in Hoops HD Report, Podcasts, Videocasts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Under the Radar Game of the Day – Monday, January 11: Cal State Bakersfield at Chicago State

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Cal State Bakersfield at Chicago State, 8:00 PM Eastern

With no significant sporting events scheduled for tonight (what? some football game?), the UTR Game of the Day will be heading to Chicago for a battle in the Western Athletic Conference between the Bakersfield Roadrunners and the Chicago State Cougars.  Although it is our firm belief that the Grand Canyon Antelopes should be eligible for the WAC’s automatic bid this season (click here to read more on that), among the currently NCAA eligible teams, the highest KenPom rating belongs to Bakersfield.  The Roadrunners enter play tonight with a KenPom rating of 119.  They sit at 11-5 on the season and 1-0 in WAC play.  Their last two wins have come on the road, including their conference opener at UMKC.  Four players scored in double figures in that win, led by Aly Ahmed’s 24 points.  Daminye Durham shot 6 for 10 from three, adding 18 points.  In fact, Durham now has 33 made three’s on the season — and only 13 made shots from inside the arc.  If he gets hot again tonight and teammates like Ahmed continue to shine, Bakersfield should pick up their second conference victory and continue to establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the conference title.

Standing between Bakersfield and a 2-0 WAC start is the Chicago State Cougars.  Chicago State has struggled so far this season, with only one Division I win to date (at home against Western Illinois).  Overall, with three non-D1 wins, the Cougars are 4-13, 0-1 in WAC play.  Fred Sims is one player worth keeping an eye on for the Cougars as he has had a few games so far this season in which he has shined, including a 26 point effort at Marquette and a 22 point effort at DePaul.  Although both those games ended in defeats, the Cougars are at home tonight, where all four of their wins have occurred.  Even though winning this game would be a considered an upset, if Sims and his teammates can come together, they are certainly capable of pulling it out.

Posted in Under the Radar | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Under the Radar Game of the Day – Monday, January 11: Cal State Bakersfield at Chicago State